Page 18 - Japanese Growth and Education: 演講人：Motohisa Kaneko教授

118 ᐿ࿲ၾආӉj઺ԃٙɢඎ

Second, it functioned as a mechanism to create aspiration for further

education, and the aspiration to study among youths. The requirement and
rewards for study was demonstrated in the form of entrance examination for
senior high school, and then higher education institutions. It worked as a simple

and strong device to motivate the youths to study the academic subjects and
core academic competences. In various exercises in international comparison
of academic achievement of children including the recent PISA project (OECD,

2017), Japanese children have shown high levels of achievement. Another
international project by OECD on adult knowledges and skills showed the
Japanese population has a high competence (OECD, 2016, 2018).
Third, the severe process of competition for entrance examination created a

device for identifying talented youths. Moreover, the core competences created
as a byproduct provided the basis for further investment in human resources at

work, which under the particular mechanism of Japanese firms, contributed to
forming efficiency in production.
It is also important that the whole regime around J-mode assured a
particular regime of social justice. A large proportion of the population was

allowed to participate in the competition in entrance examination, and in fact
they did. The competition in entrance examination was at least technically fair.

Provided with the growth in family income, the economic factors did not form
substantial bias for the large part of population.
However, this mechanism creates its own problems. It become increasingly
clear in the 1980s.

Challenges for a New Cycle

The mechanism thus created, or the J-Mode, that worked in the postwar